TCU News: “I think we can be as good as anybody.”

Football:

TCU football on pace for fewest sacks since joining Big 12 | The Star-Telegram

Yeah, this is part of the problem - and the main reason the Frogs’ D has been torched by quality passing teams.

As coach Gary Patterson said following last Saturday’s 49-24 loss at Iowa State, the pass rush is “not to the level that we’re used to.”

Redshirt freshman Ochaun Mathis was credited with one sack on the day, the first full sack registered by a TCU defensive end this season. Graduate transfer Shameik Blackshear has a half-sack over the first five games.

Defensive tackle Ross Blacklock and linebacker Garret Wallow are leading the team with 2.5 sacks each.

For the season, TCU has just nine sacks for an average of 1.80 per game. That ranks eighth in the Big 12, and is the fewest for the Frogs since they joined the Big 12.

TCU’s Patterson wary of players abusing new redshirt rule | The Star-Telegram

Patterson won’t be tanking, a la Houston, any time soon.

TCU has made — and continues to make — a concerted effort to avoid recruiting players who may leave if things aren’t going exactly their way.

“They know with me, if it’s not about winning, it won’t be a favorable conversation,” Patterson said. “So right now, it’s who can we play with that can give us a chance to win ballgames.”

Again, Patterson is happy he’s 59 rather than 39. Much of these problems won’t be his to worry about.

“I’m going to look forward to watching all the younger head coaches and all the people deal with all this,” Patterson said. “I’m going to smile at them.”

Here’s a list of TCU players (and others from Texas colleges) in the XFL Draft | The Star-Telegram

Some familiar faces could be returning home to play more football.

TCU

WR John Diarse

TE Cole Hunt

LB Jawuan Johnson

OT Tayo Fabuluje

LB Stansly Maponga

RB Kyle Hicks

WR Taj Williams

DB Nick Orr

DB Ranthony Texada

Basketball:

TCU’s Jamie Dixon: ‘I think we can be as good as anybody | The Star-Telegram

A secret scrimmage? A secret win? A trip to NOLA? Good weekend for the Frogs.

“I understand we lost four guys and there’s such a fine line in this league now. If we had Kouat [Noi] back, we’d probably be picked four spots higher just by having another guy. Everybody has three or four guys coming back, so we have less than most. We’re going to be picked at the bottom of this thing. It’s just the way it is.

“But let’s stay healthy and have some depth and I think we can be as good as anybody.”

TCU will get a firsthand look of where it’s at with a “secret” scrimmage against Mississippi State on Saturday in New Orleans. The Frogs are also expected to have another “secret” scrimmage later this month against Washington in Fort Worth.